Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

This will be a very quick post, but an important one.  Because we loved these Crostini Appetizers that our DIL made for Christmas, I had to share them with you.  Either one of them would be perfect for your New Year’s Eve celebration.  I plan on making the roasted beet, dill and boursin crostini for our contribution to the appetizer table when our friends’ get together this year.

We celebrate with the same group of long time friends each year. This year we will be in Hilton Head SC. We spend three days together eating, laughing, playing cards, shopping, golfing for the guys, and movie going for the gals. For the guys who want to play at the comfort of one’s home, they can resort to innovations such as a garage golf solution. The menus vary little from the traditions that we have established. New Years Eve includes numerous appetizers, filet of beef, potato casserole and a gorgeous salad.  New Year’s Day is slow roasted pork, black-eyed peas, rice, collard greens and corn bread.

Either one of these appetizers would be a colorful addition to your appetizer tray.  The radish and butter crostini is very simple and elegant.  The beet and dill appetizer is colorful and delicious.  Happy New Year to all of you.  I look forward to starting 2016 here with all of my blogging friends.

OPEN-FACE RADISH AND BUTTER SANDWICHES

A mandoline or V-slicer makes quick work of slicing the radishes.

2 1/2 bunches radishes, trimmed

Unsalted butter, room temperature

20 1/4-inch-thick diagonal slices baguette, lightly toasted

Maldon sea salt or coarse kosher salt

Place radishes in medium bowl of ice water and chill at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. Drain radishes and slice thinly.

Spread butter generously over baguette slices and sprinkle lightly with sea salt or coarse kosher salt. Arrange radish slices atop buttered baguette slices and serve.

ROASTED BEET, DILL AND BOURSIN CROSTINI

3 to 5 beets peeled and cut into small dice

Olive oil and garlic powder

Sourdough baguette slices, lightly toasted

Fresh dill fronds

1 50z, package Garlic and Fine Herbs Boursin Cheese Spread

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Place diced beets on small roasting pan.  Coat with olive oil and a little garlic powder.  Roast until cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Cool.

Lightly toast baguette slices.

Assemble crostini;  Spread with cheese, top with dill and sprinkle with cooled diced beets

Merry Christmas everyone.  The packages are wrapped, the baking is done and we will be leaving for NC to visit the family tomorrow.  My tree in Florida does not have the precious ornaments that are packed away at the Lake Lure house.  But it does have a few special ornaments that were given to us over the years by Kristen’s family who live and work in the Washington DC area.  Thank you Dave and Darla!

Each year the White House Historical Association designs an official Christmas tree ornament to commemorate a moment in history of the yuletide celebrations in the White House.  Pictured above are two of the ornaments.  The Christmas tree ornament from 2008 honors the administration of President Benjamin Harrison.  Inspired by the Harrison family’s Victorian Christmas tree, this 24 karat gold finished ornament interprets the first recorded tree to decorate the White House.  President Harrison doted on his grandchildren and was said to say “We shall have an old-fashioned Christmas Tree for the grandchildren upstairs, and I shall be their Santa Claus myself”.

The 2007 Christmas tree ornament honors President Grover Cleveland who was the only president to marry in the White House.

The 2006 White House ornament honors the administration of President Chester A. Arthur.  He brought to the White House a luxurious style that signaled the nation’s return to prosperity after the economic troubles of the late 1870’s.  The design of the ornament is inspired by the period motifs and rich decor of Arthur’s White House, which will be forever distinguished by the early work of famed American artist and decorator Louis Comfort Tiffany.

The 2011 ornament honors the administration of Theodore Roosevelt.  It reflects the excitement that President Roosevelt and his lively young family brought to life at the White House.  There had been no children living in the White House in years.  With six children that first Christmas was exciting.  The front of this ornament shows the Roosevelt family admiring the Christmas tree.

The other side of the ornament shows Santa and his bag saying “I hear that there are some kids in the White House this year”.

The 2010 ornament honors President William McKinley who was President at the turn of the 20th century.  The nation was in a patriotic mood as the century turned and the ornament depicts members of the United States Marine Band performing on the snow covered North Drive as arriving guests disembark from their carriages.

I wish you a peaceful and joyous Christmas.  Here is a link to The White House Historical Association if you are interested in learning more about the White House Christmas Ornaments.

 

The holidays are moving quickly in our house.  We were late arriving in Florida this year because of all of the follow-up Doctor’s appointments that I had.  The leg is healing well and we finally moved back last week.  The tree and wreaths went up quickly, but the Christmas baking has taken some time.  We are also preparing to put the house on the market in January.  Therefore I am trying to simplify the baking tasks.

No frosted and decorated cookies are in my arsenal this year.  But I had to make my Swedish crescent cookies.  It is the one tradition that can’t be altered.  These buttery melt in your mouth cookies are the best.  To pair with these crescent moon cookies I made Dorie Greenspan’s speculoos.  These crisp spicy Belgium cookies celebrate the name day of Saint Nicholas and are served everywhere in the country at Christmas time.  The cinnamon aroma scents your kitchen while they are baking.

The speculoos are easy, but be aware that the rolled out dough requires a three hour rest in the refrigerator before being cut and baked. Now I am off to wrap presents.  Christmas and New Year’s are right around the corner.  If only I had some snow!  Enjoy the Season.

SWEDISH CRESCENT COOKIES

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup finely chopped or ground almonds or pecans

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 325°F. In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup powdered sugar, the butter and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in flour, almonds and salt until dough forms.

With floured hands, shape heaping tablespoons of dough into crescent shapes and place on ungreased baking sheet 1-inch apart.

Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until set but not brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Place 3/4 cup powdered sugar in small bowl. Roll cookies in powdered sugar. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar again. Cookies can be placed in an airtight container and freeze up to 3 weeks. Before serving, thaw the cookies and reroll them in powdered sugar.

SPECULOOS (Dorie Greenspan)

Be prepared:  The rolled-out dough needs to be chilled for at least 3 hours.

Makes about 70 cookies – I used a 2″ star cutter and got around 35 cookies

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 (packed) cup light brown sugar
1 LARGE EGG, AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

Whisk the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices together in a bowl.

Working in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until creamy.  Add the sugars and beat until well blended, about 2 minutes.  ADD THE EGG AND CONTINUE TO BEAT UNTIL IT, TOO, IS BLENDED INTO THE BUTTER AND SUGARS.  With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing only until the flour disappears into the soft dough.  You may have some flour at the bottom of the bowl, or the dough may not be entirely smooth, but that’s normal.  Using your hands (always my first choice) or a spatula, reach into the bowl and knead or stir the dough 2 or 3 times, just enough to eliminate any dry spots.

Divide the dough in half.  (The dough is very soft, even after you refrigerate it for several hours, so if your kitchen is hot, you might want to divide the dough into thirds – that way it won’t take you as long to cut out the cookies and the dough won’t soften as much.)  Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, roll the dough between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap until you have a circle that’s a scant ¼ inch thick.  As you’re rolling, turn the dough over a couple of times and pull away the paper or plastic, so you don’t end up rolling creases into the dough.  Put the rolled-out rounds of dough on a tray or cutting board and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen, well wrapped, for up to 2 months.)

When you’re ready to bake, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Have a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Choose a cookie cutter – I like to use a scalloped cutter that’s 1 1/4-inches in diameter – and remove 1 circle of dough from the refrigerator.  Peel off the top piece of wax paper or plastic and cut out as many cookies as you can from the dough,carefully lifting the cutouts onto the lined baking sheet.  Collect the scraps and set them aside to combine with the scraps from the second piece of dough.

Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are lightly golden and just slightly brown around the edges.  Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool.

Repeat with the second round of dough, making certain the baking sheet is cool before you put the cutouts on it.  To use the scraps, press them together, roll them into a circle, and chill them before cutting and baking.

Serving:  The cookies are just right with coffee, made for espresso and tea and really good nibbled as a snack.

Storing:  The dough can be wrapped airtight and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.  Kept in an airtight container, the cookies will be fine for a week or more.

Printable Recipe Swedish Crescent Cookies 

Printable Recipe Speculoos

We have made the transition from N.C. to Florida.  It is always hard to leave my Lake Lure Kitchen, but I have to say that it is nice to be able to walk the dog without wearing a jacket.  I am getting into the Christmas spirit with the tree up and the wreaths on the door, but I haven’t started shopping or baking yet.  I did make these green beans the other day.  I included chopped pickled beets in the mix and the whole dish made me think of Christmas.

This dish would be perfect on any holiday table.

Thanks to all of you for your support in the Food52 recipe contest.  Unfortunately I did not win, but they have contests every month, so there is always hope.  Right now the contest is “The Best Thing You Ate This Year”.  I would be curious as to what you would choose.

CHRISTMAS GREEN BEANS

1 pound French green beans (haricot vert), trimmed
2 teaspoons minced garlic ( 2 cloves )
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest ( 2 lemons )
3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons tasted pine nuts
2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 to 5 jarred pickled beets, sliced into strips

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add the green beans and blanch them for 2 to 3 minutes, until tender but still crisp.  Drain the beans in a colander and immediately put them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and preserve their bright green color.

For the gremolata, toss the garlic, lemon zest, parsley, Parmesan, and pine nuts in a small bowl and set aside.

When ready to serve, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Drain the beans and pat them dry.  Add the beans to the pan and saute, turning frequently, for 2 minutes, until coated with olive oil and heated through. Off the heat, add the gremolata and toss well. Add the pickled beet strips and sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and serve.

Printable Recipe

With the holidays approaching nothing could be better than a show-stopping entree for your dinner parties.  I entered my recipe for Maple-Glazed Stuffed Pork Tenderloins in a contest at Food52.  It was picked as one of two in the final contest.  If you are a member of Food52 (Easy to join by the way), I would appreciate your vote.

The Pork Tenderloins are butterflied and pounded to thinness before being stuffed with a mixture of apples, celery, scallions, dried fruit, pecans and bread crumbs.  The stuffing is moistened with maple syrup and pear nectar.  I covered the pounded tenderloins with the stuffing mixture and rolled it up.  The pork is then wrapped in a blanket of bacon and baked.

The tenderloins can be assembled ahead of time and baked when your company arrives.  Let the holiday season begin.  I hope you give this recipe a try.  I would really appreciate your vote.

Photos courtesy of Food52.

MAPLE-GLAZED STUFFED PORK TENDERLOINS

Serves 6 to 8

For the stuffing:

• 2 apples, chopped
• 1 cup chopped dried figs
• 1 cup chopped dried apples
• 1 cup dried bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup pear nectar

For the pork:

• 2 pork tenderloins
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 8 slices of bacon
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 to 1 cups pear nectar

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine the apples, dried fruit, celery, pecans, scallions, and bread crumbs in a medium size bowl. Add the maple syrup and pear nectar and mix to combine. Set aside while you prepare the pork tenderloin.
2. Butterfly the pork tenderloins by cutting them lengthwise about two-thirds of the way through. Place each butterflied tenderloin between sheets of wax paper and pound them out to a 1/4-inch rectangle. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place as much stuffing as will fit easily on each one. (You will have extra to put in a small casserole to cook separately.) Roll up each pork tenderloin starting at the long ends and place them seam-side down in a roasting pan appropriate to their size. (Not too large). Wrap each tenderloin with 4 slices of bacon.
3. Drizzle the top of each one with maple syrup and pour 1/2 cup of pear nectar into pan. Place in oven and cook for 1 hour, basting occasionally and adding more liquid if the pan juice starts to caramelize too quickly. When the tenderloins are nicely caramelized after about 1 hour, remove from the oven. Let rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Printable Recipe